Missing Man
by Admiral
Summary: The Common Man Project suffers its first great loss.
1. Teaser

**DISCLAIMER:** _Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission._

**STAR TREK:**

**MISSING MAN**

**By Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Things had gotten so busy for her lately that Dr. Usma Narain rarely had time to get out of the office for lunch, so she took advantage of a visit by Admiral Edward Jellico to the UESPA's Stockholm headquarters. She invited him out for a working lunch at a nearby French restaurant where they could discuss the status of the Common Man Project over fine cuisine. "I can't believe how much progress we've made in such a short time," she said as they looked at their menus. "Our little fleet has already discovered seven new worlds populated by intelligent races and made contact in two of the cases.

Jellico smirked as he considered the entrees. "Neither contact scenario was all that elegant," he said.

"I think the crews of the _Enterprise_ and the _Constellation_ did very well given the circumstances."

Jellico raised an eyebrow as he looked up at her. "Have you been reading the same reports I have, Usma?"

"Edward, you said yourself that our people in the Deep Reconnaissance Group would have to rely on the resources available to them until we can find ways to make their mission easier. The fact that they managed to make contact at all is a wonderful achievement."

"Well, maybe, but I think we ought to issue a general 'Hands Off' order until we can come up with a First Contact procedure."

"Oh, I don't think we should do that. The Project is moving forward nicely as it is. I wouldn't want to micromanage it by coming up with a lot of restrictive protocols."

"I'm not talking about micromanaging anything. I just think we ought to hold off contacting these new races we're finding until we can do it with a minimum of fuss."

"You know as well as I do that we may never find a perfect way to contact new races."

"Probably not, but if we can start getting the humanoid probes out to the ships we might give them a better way to observe the new races on their home planets."

"Oh, that reminds me. I spoke to the representative in Chicago and he said that the first test model should be ready for delivery in about--"

She was interrupted by beeping sounds coming from both their digital assistants. They smiled at each other and took out the devices, then checked the text messages they'd received. Their faces fell as they read, then they traded astonished looks.

Jellico recovered first. "Let me handle this," he said as he dialed a number and put the device to his ear. "This is Jellico. Code the following message for dispatch to the group…"

* * *

Light-years away, it was dinnertime aboard the USS _Enterprise_. Captain Christopher Pike, Commander Mary McDonald and Lieutenant Commanders John Adams and Brigid Silas were having dinner in the Wardroom. "I still don't think you should have let her do it, Captain," she said. "She's probably down there right now plotting mutiny."

Pike chuckled. "That's _why_ I let her do it, Brigid. A week or two traipsing around in the fresh air of Ceres Two should do wonders for her psyche…and make her less inclined to butt heads with us. In fact, once she and her people are done down there I'm planning to announce a general shore leave. I think we could all use a break."

"Well, it shouldn't take that long," Adams said as he cut into his steak, "not with the whole Science Department down there at one time."

"See? That's what I mean!" Silas said. "Suppose after a week or two on the surface they all get together and decide to go native and cast off all the trappings of the EEE-vil Military?" This caused general laughter in the room, and though Silas was laughing right along, she said, "I'm serious! I mean really, what's to stop them from taking potshots at us when we go down to pick them up?"

When he recovered, Pike said, "There's only a couple of dozen of 'em, Brigid, and we got all the spaceships. I think we can handle it."

"I dunno, Cap'n. I think they got all the big brains. What if they make some kind of Doomsday Machine out of their tri-corders and porta-johns?"

Everyone in the room broke up again at that. Commander McDonald was the first to recover. "Not to worry, Commander," she said, "if things get that serious we'll simply use you as a human shield."

Pike and Adams laughed harder and Silas looked at McDonald like she had two heads. "Me?? How come I get to be the human shield?!"

"No, wait," Adams said between guffaws, "that makes sense!"

"It does!" Pike said as he recovered from the laughing fit. "Think about it: there's only about three or four of us knuckle-draggers that Montoya actually _likes_."

"Exactly," McDonald said, "and since you seem to be…"

An alert from the intercom panel on the wall behind Pike interrupted McDonald. "Control to Captain Pike."

Pike reached back and touched a contact. "Pike here."

"Sir, we just received a 'Flash' message from Group."

"Very Well. Send it to my 'pad."

"Aye, Sir."

Pike released the contact and reached into a pants pocket for his datapad. The others went back to their meals in silence, but everyone was still smiling as they waited to resume the conversation after giving the Captain a chance to read the priority message. Only a second or two had passed before McDonald glanced back at Pike. That's when she noticed his smile had disappeared. "What is it?"

Pike simply handed her the 'pad and reached back to the intercom as she read. "Pike to Control. Sound Departure Stations!"

The Communications Officer on watch was on "Intercraft" a second later. "Now Hear This: All Hands to Departure Stations! Repeat: All Hands to Departure Stations! This is not a drill!"

Everyone in the Wardroom stood then. Pike got their attention before they could leave. "Brigid, I want two Workhorses brought to Plus-Five status. John, I need you to get a Damage Control team ready to embark on one of them ASAP. I'll explain why when I get to Control."

Both Adams and Silas responded with "Aye, Sir," and left the Wardroom.

McDonald handed Pike back his 'pad and said, "What about Montoya?"

Pike returned the device to his pocket and led McDonald out of the Wardroom. "I'll also deal with _that_ when I get to Control."

* * *

It was early evening over the area of Ceres Two where the _Enterprise_'s Science Department was encamped, a large clearing in one of the more temperate zones on the planet's Southern Hemisphere. The camp was made up of several prefabricated shelters and just plain old tents taken from the ship's stores. The weather around the camp was equivalent to late Spring on Earth, which was something Lieutenant Commander Isabel Montoya appreciated, because that and the absence of Starfleeters had given her a chance to relax the uniform restrictions her people had been forced to adhere to since reporting aboard. In the three days since they first set up camp it had gotten to the point where everyone had abandoned their Work Color shirts for the cooler - and less constricting - fleet-issue black undershirts, and the researchers who had long hair were able to let it hang loose. Montoya's reached all the way to the small of her back. She grinned the day she let it out. It had felt like ages since she'd been able to enjoy the sensation for longer than it took to shower and dress.

This evening she was returning from a sojourn into the surrounding forest to the two-person shelter she was sharing with Lieutenant Gwendolyn Flores. Her friend was sitting cross-legged on her cot, working on her laptop computer and eating dinner. "I got something for you, too," she said without looking away from the computer screen.

Montoya looked at her cot. Resting on it was a rectangular box about the size of Flores's laptop. She read the label on top:

U.E.S.L.F.

BASIC FIELD

RATION SET C

BEEF DINNER

Her mouth twisted up. "No more Turkey?"

Flores smiled and raised a sporkful of gray matter in triumph. "Got the last one," she said, then she took the gray matter into her mouth and said after she started chewing, "Of course, we didn't bring all that many to begin with. The way I hear it, Starfleet orders these things according to the Landers' preferences. I guess the Landing Force loves its Steak and Taters. Personally, I don't see why it matters. It's all processed from the same soy products anyway."

Montoya sat down on her cot with a sigh. "Adapt or perish, I suppose."

Flores turned to her and smiled. "Yep. That's the First Rule of Evolution. Actually, it's the _only_ Rule of Evolution."

"It's also an unavoidable necessity when serving in an organization overrun with North Americans," Montoya said, then she looked up from the meal and offered Flores a smile. "No offense."

Flores, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York, smiled back. "None taken." She went back to her computer. "I know what you mean. One of the things I miss most about Stockholm is the food."

"It's more than just the food. I know Starfleet is modeled mostly on the old U.S. Navy, but it's like the people who created it wanted to include every aspect of that Navy they could think of whether it was useful or not, including some of the most baffling jargon." She turned back to her meal and popped the enclosed box drink out of its recess on the left side, then held it up for Flores to see. "For example, I cannot for the life of me understand why they insist on calling fruit drinks 'Bug Juice.'"

Flores looked at it for a moment, then shrugged. "Beats me. They gotta call it something." She suddenly put on a wicked grin. "Maybe 'United Earth Starfleet Processed Artificial Fruit Beverage Formula Number 14-X' takes too long to say."

Montoya doubled over with laughter as Flores went back to her meal and her work, still smiling. When she recovered, Montoya popped the small rectangular spork from the right side of the meal box, then she slid off the label and looked for right contact on the plastic casing. She pressed it and waited for the integral heating element to do its job. Thirty seconds later she opened the box, revealing a stucco panel of processed food. The large brown square in the middle was supposed to be steak, the medium-sized white square on the right potatoes, the smallish green square on the top left the "vegetable" and the tiny dark brown square on the bottom left the "brownie."

Montoya sighed again. "Of course, I shouldn't be surprised what they call fruit drink when you consider that they call this stuff 'food.'"

"This isn't food," Flores said, pointing at her meal with her spork. "This is just enough proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to keep you from dying of starvation…with artificial flavoring, of course."

"Of course. And is it just me, or does it seem strange that microwave technology has advanced to the point where you can safely heat a meal in your lap, but it didn't occur to anybody to find a way to make the meal _worth_ heating up?"

Flores smirked. "There's definitely a misplaced priority there somewhere." Then she got serious. "Did you see the cave?"

"Yes. It was one of the things Greer showed me. You were right. It's enormous."

"It's also a pretty decent hike from here. If we want to take a look at what's inside we might have to ask for the use of a transport after all."

Montoya grimaced. "I was hoping to keep the Starfleeters' presence down to a minimum this time around. Are you sure it's important?"

Flores turned to her. "Well, like I was telling you, the local fauna seem to be…"

She was interrupted by a beep from Montoya's field radio. "_Enterprise_ to Montoya," Captain Pike's voice said a second later.

Montoya unclipped the device from her belt and activated it. "Montoya here. I'm glad you called, Captain. We were just talking about…"

"Just let me talk, Montoya. We're leaving. I'm sending a transport down--"

Montoya frowned. "Captain! You promised me that I'd have at least a week to do my job without interference!"

"Let me _finish_, Commander! One of our spacecraft is missing. The details are in a Flash message I just sent to your 'pad. I'm taking _Enterprise_ to lend a hand in the Search and Rescue operation."

Montoya couldn't think of anything to say for a few moments, then said softly, "It will take hours for us to break camp."

"I know that, Montoya. Don't bother. I'm sending a transport with some supplies and a squad of Landers to reinforce your shore party. I wish I could send you some corpsmen as well, but we may need all the medical personnel we can lay our hands on when we get to the scene. _Enterprise_ will depart as soon as the transport is underway. Hopefully we won't be gone long, but until we return you're on your own. _Keep_ doing your job. That way we'll be sure of how to find you when we get back. Pike out."

Montoya turned off the radio and put it aside, then took out her datapad. Flores came over as she accessed the message. "Did he say we lost a spacecraft?" Flores said.

Montoya skimmed down to the first paragraph of the message:

1. AS OF 17DEC2266 AT 0430HRS USS INDEPENDENCE (NCC-1712) HAS FAILED TO REPORT AND IS LISTED AS "MISSING." LAST CONTACT WAS ON 15DEC2266 AT 0430HRS. INDEPENDENCE REPORTED CONCLUDING OPERATIONS IN AOR5 AND PROCEEDING TO AOR6 IN OPAREA PA-7.

2. USS ENTERPRISE, HORNET AND KITTY HAWK WILL PROCEED TO OPAREA PA-7 AND COMMENCE CSAR OPERATIONS. ALL OTHER SHIPS WILL STAND BY AND PREPARE TO LEND ASSISTANCE. ALL SHIPS ON CSAR DUTY WILL REPORT TO CPT. PIKE.

"That's what he said," Montoya said softly. She put the 'pad on her cot and stared into space for a few moments.

"Well, what do we do?" Flores said.

Montoya couldn't answer immediately. Her thoughts were with the Science team aboard _Independence_. Right now she wanted more than anything to join the search, but speed was paramount in this situation and, as such, she was stuck on the sidelines through no one's fault but her own. Ultimately, she took a deep, calming breath and turned back to her dinner. "We do what Captain Pike said," she said, "continue our work here. We have enough supplies right now to last for another three days. We'll see what else the transport is bringing us and we'll have a ship to get us to that cave of yours." With that she started eating, even though she'd lost her appetite. Flores just sat down next to her, lost in thought.


	2. Segment One

**DISCLAIMER:** _Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission._

**STAR TREK:**

**MISSING MAN**

**By Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Pike sent word to the other ships in the CSAR fleet that they would begin their search in the Woden star system, _Independence_'s fifth Area of Responsibility and her last reported position. _Hornet_ was the first starship to arrive, followed soon after by _Enterprise_ and _Kitty Hawk_. The three ships rendezvoused in orbit around Woden's largest planetary body, a gas giant just a bit larger than Jupiter. When the three ships were in range of each other Pike set up a radio conference with the other two captains. Their images were sharing the main viewer as he spoke to them. "We're facing two possibilities: Either _Independence_ never made it out of this system after her last report, or something happened to her in Menos Corva. That gives us two star systems to sift through. I want to run the whole thing from _Enterprise_'s Flag Plot, so I'll need you two to transfer over here so we can work out an overall strategy."

"Not a problem," said Captain Soledad Ortiz of the _Hornet_.

"You got it," said Captain James Crawford of the _Kitty Hawk_.

"Also," Pike said, "I plan to use my senior officers as fleet staff, but I had to leave my Science Officer back in the Ceres system, so I'll need to borrow one of yours."

"Now that _will_ be a problem for me, Chris," Ortiz said. "My Science Officer is laid up. He got a little overzealous investigating a rock formation at our last stop and ended up with a broken leg."

"I understand. How about yours, Jim?"

"Oh, you can _absolutely_ borrow her, Chris!" Crawford said. "In fact, we can even trade if you want!"

Pike raised an eyebrow. "That's okay. Mine is just about broken in. I'll just need her for the search."

"Trouble in paradise, Jim?" Ortiz said with a smile.

"Not so much 'trouble.' It's just…you'll see when you meet her."

"Bring her over." Pike said. "I'll expect your transports at the airlock in" - he checked his watch - "fifteen minutes?"

"We'll be there." Ortiz said. Crawford nodded in agreement.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, transports from _Hornet_ and _Kitty Hawk_ carrying Ortiz and Crawford were holding outside _Enterprise_'s outer airlock doors. They had to be let in one at a time so that _Enterprise_ could keep one of her own transports at Alert-Five status. Crawford's came in last. When the Flight Deck repressurized he stepped out of the ship accompanied by a bright-looking brunette Lieutenant Commander in Work Blue. As they crossed onto the Hangar Deck a voice called out over Intercraft, "_Kitty Hawk_, Arriving."

The Lieutenant Commander smiled and said, "Do they _really_ do that wherever you go?"

Crawford nodded. "The tradition is an arriving or departing Unit Commander or Head of State is announced that way when he crosses the threshold."

The Lieutenant Commander turned to look back at the Hangar Deck entrance as deck crew went to tow their transport in. She smiled and whispered, "I think I like that."

Crawford had to walk the length of the hangar before he found Pike and Ortiz by the turbolifts. He reached out to shake Pike's hand and said with a smile, "This deck's starting to get crowded, Chris."

Pike nodded and smiled back as they shook. "I know. I'm keeping the rest of my smallcraft at Plus-Fifteen and I'm keeping a Damage Control team ready to go at all times."

"Good idea." Crawford indicated his officer. "Captain Pike, Captain Ortiz, allow me to introduce my Science Officer, Commander Janice Lester."

Commander Lester put on a big grin and shook each captain's hand in turn. "Captain Ortiz, Captain Pike, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

Ortiz smiled back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too," she said.

"Welcome aboard, Commander." Pike said. "I'd like to know what your specialty is."

"Oh," Lester said, looking a little sheepish, "it's Archeology."

"Archeology?"

"Actually, it's exo-Archeology. I was in charge of a dig in the Canias Region on Andoria before I was chosen for the Project…but I'm sure I can be very helpful to you in the search."

Pike smiled. "I'm sure you can. Let's get up to Flag Plot." He led the group into the lift and said, "All Command Deck."

As the lift started to move, Ortiz said, "We've been hailing _Indy_ since we arrived on station. No luck."

"And we've come up negative with our preliminary scans," Crawford said.

"Same for us on both counts." Pike said. "I can understand if she's having communications problems, and we have ways of dealing with that, but we should have been able to pick up her transponder if she were anywhere in orbit in the system."

"Maybe it crashed somewhere." Lester blurted out. The three captains turned to shoot her a look. The harshest one came from Crawford. "Or maybe not," she whispered.

Pike let out a breath. "That's one of the possibilities we have to consider, Commander, but if that were the case the survivors would still be able to pick up our hails on their field radios."

It seemed impossible, but Crawford's look turned even more harsh at that. The message was clear: _Don't say what you're thinking!_ Lester fought the urge to say that Pike's statement would only be true if there _were_ survivors.

When he saw that she got the message, Crawford said, "It's just as likely that they made it to Menos Corva safely and the communications screw-up happened there. We're here to eliminate possibilities, Commander, not to jump to conclusions."

"Yes, Sir," a chastened Commander Lester said. Pike looked at her, then exchanged looks with Crawford, raising an eyebrow at his colleague. Crawford raised both of his right back - a mini-shrug - then they both turned to the door as the lift came to a stop.

Flag Plot was a small combat direction center forward of the Control Room. It was only used when _Enterprise_ served as flagship of a task force, usually by an admiral and his staff. The room was dominated by a large holographic plotting table in the center and by two massive monitors each on the forward and aft bulkheads. The monitors could repeat any information gathered by _Enterprise_'s sensors and all the data could be collated into one whole picture by the plotting table.

Commanders McDonald, Adams and Silas were already in the room waiting for the captains. The monitors were displaying the latest chart, sensor and tactical data from Control. Pike handled the introductions for his officers, then went to the plotting table and turned it on. "Let's get started," Pike said as everyone gathered around. A second later a holographic representation of the Woden system appeared above the table. "Okay, the system has six major planets and one minor one, plus a cosmic debris field surrounding the whole thing starting from the orbit of the outermost planet and extending out to about half a light-year. Our areas of responsibility will be the Inner Planets, Outer Planets and Debris Field. Soledad, you're the best with long-range scanning so you'll take the Debris Field. It's possible something happened out there while _Indy_ was heading out of the system."

"Sounds like a plan," Ortiz said.

"Jim, you take the Outer Planets. That gives you the two gas giants and Woden's 'Pluto.' You know what to do."

Crawford nodded. "Check all the little moons and rings for any signs of a mishap and pay close attention to the giants' atmospheres."

"That's right. Number One, that leaves us with the Inner Planets, including Woden Four, the planet on _Indy_'s survey list. We'll use our Cavaliers to cover the space and minor bodies in between. Commander Silas, you'll coordinate that with the other CAGs."

"Yes, Sir," Silas said.

"Commander Lester, I'll need you when we get to Woden Four. Another possibility is that they tripped some kind of nasty surprise there that didn't go off until they were ready to leave. If that's the case, I'm going to need you to lead a shore party down to the surface and check out whatever it is _Indy_'s team might have found there."

"Aye, Sir." Lester said crisply, then, after a moment's thought, "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

Pike crossed his arms. "Granted."

"Will I be allowed to use my own people?"

"I don't need you to do a complete survey. I just need you to take a look from orbit first and then head down if we see anything out-of-the-ordinary. Besides, I've got a whole ship full of people you can borrow if need be."

"I appreciate all that, Sir, but as I told you I'm just an archeologist, so unless what the other Science Team ran into was really old and dusty I may not be able to properly analyze what I find. If I could have a few of my officers with me…or _one_! Just one! Lieutenant West would be perfect."

Pike regarded her for a moment, then glanced at Crawford, who offered a slight nod. Pike turned back to Lester. "Very Well. We'll have Lieutenant West brought aboard before we get started."

Lester grinned. "Thank you, Captain! You won't regret it!"

"I'm sure I won't. All right…when we reach our assigned areas we'll start with the outermost search targets and work sunward. Ortiz, that means you'll have the longest patrol time, but don't try to rush it. We'll stay here as long as we need to, and we'll do the same in Menos Corva. Hopefully the most we'll have to do is tell _Indy_ to turn her radio back on. Commander Adams has some information for us on that."

Adams took over then. "One of the glitches we had when the Connies were first overhauled was in the High-Gain Subspace transceivers. It's possible that every now and again the antennae will confuse the energy released during a transition to Warp for a subspace signal. The problem is that energy is exponentially greater than that of even the most powerful subspace signal and it's random, so the comm drivers can't cope. When this happens they go into 'reset' mode. There have been a few software and hardware upgrades since then, but since the comms essentially use the same medium as the engines the contractor has never been able to completely eliminate the problem, so it can still crop up if the engineers don't stay on top of it. It's possible that _Indy_ is in Menos Corva just trying to get her comms back on line."

"Captain," McDonald said, "perhaps we should send a Cavalier or two ahead to Menos Corva to try to establish short-range communication, if that's the case."

"That's a good idea, Number One," Pike said, "but we'll send the alert Workhorse and the Damage Control team. I don't want to divide our resources too much and take a chance of missing something in either system. I guess that about does it. Any other questions?"

Lester raised her hand. When Pike acknowledged her, she asked, "Sir, how do you think I should equip my Away team? We've gotten used to the Basic Patrol loadout on _Kitty Hawk_, but if you think we should go to the Long-Range Recon loadout because of the nature of the mission, we've also trained to do that, though not as much as I'd like…"

Pike stopped her with a raised hand. "We'll decide that when we get to the planet, Commander. Any other questions?" No one had any. "Very Well. Let's get started. Number One, we just need a minute."

"Aye, Sir," McDonald said, then she turned to the others. "Let's get to work, everyone." Adams, Silas and Lester started out of the room, then McDonald turned to follow.

Just before she was out of the room, Crawford said to Lester, "I'll send West over as soon as I get back to _Hawk_."

"Thank you, Sir!" Lester said with another grin.

The captains waited a second or two after the door closed, then Ortiz and Pike turned to Crawford. "Wow," Pike said, "I can't see _why_ you'd want to get rid of her."

"Yeah," Ortiz said with a smile, "that's a nice set of lips she's got to reach Chris's and your rear ends from so far away."

Pike chuckled and Crawford lowered his head and shook it before he responded. "I've told her and told her that I'm not running a popularity contest and as long as she shows me the proper respect we'll get along fine."

"Well, you may have to re-define 'proper respect' for her."

"I've done that three times!"

"Well, for all her eagerness at least she _is_ respectful," Pike said, "and courteous and apparently willing to learn the ropes as a Starfleet Officer…which is why I can't figure out why you'd want to trade her for Montoya. Lester's like the Anti-Montoya. I should think you'd be happy with that."

Crawford grimaced as he recalled his brief encounter with Montoya at the briefing months ago. "Maybe, but at least with Montoya I'd know what I was getting."

"That's what I thought. Believe me, you wouldn't."

"Fair enough, but there's something about Lester that bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Pike got serious. "Is that going to be a problem as far as doing her job goes?"

"No, she's competent and capable. There's just something odd about her. Maybe I'm imagining it."

"You probably are," Ortiz said. "We've all had to make some adjustments on this cruise. Maybe you're feeling out of whack because of that and projecting that onto Lester."

"Maybe," Pike said, "but we can deal with that later. Right now, we've got a ship to find."

Crawford nodded and put his hand on Pike's shoulder. "We haven't forgotten, Chris. Gabe Kono is our friend, too. If he's lost out here, who's more likely to find him than us?"

"That's probably why the Old Man sent us out here first," Ortiz said. "He knows we won't rest until we bring Gabe home."

Pike smiled at both of them. "Just making sure we're on the same page," he said. "Let's get to work."

As the three of them filed out of Flag Plot, their thoughts turned to Gabriel Kono, captain of the _Independence_, a seasoned officer who had befriended them all after they received their commands and welcomed them into what all Connie commanders thought of as an exclusive club. None of them wanted to think he might be gone forever. They all hoped - _expected_ - that his ship was out of contact for the most benign of reasons.

* * *

Later, on the Hangar Deck, Commander Lester waited patiently for the access doors to open. This time the transport from _Kitty Hawk_ would remain aboard just long enough to offload its lone passenger, Lieutenant Joseph West, a tall, wiry, dark-skinned young man with tired-looking eyes that concealed what was actually a vibrant personality. He and Lester smiled at each other as he crossed the threshold and Lester met him halfway. "Hi, Joe!" Lester said. "Welcome aboard the _Enterprise_."

In response, West's smile disappeared and he got very close, then he started scanning Lester's face with his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Lester asked as she recoiled slightly.

West's smile returned as he took a step back. "I just wanted to see how much browner your nose has gotten since you've had three captains to suck up to," he said.

"Oh, hush," she said as he chuckled, then she turned and started toward the lift.

West fell in step right beside her. "I'm sorry, Janice, but I call 'em as I see 'em."

"Well, it's time to get your vision checked because I don't 'suck up' to anybody! The captain deserves a certain level of respect, that's all."

"_Respect_, yes, not sloppy fangirl adoration."

That stopped Lester in her tracks. "It is _not_ sloppy fangirl adoration!"

West looked her in the eye. "Then what _is_ it? You've been like this ever since we left Earth, and personally I find it a little sickening."

"Is it so wrong to want to get along with the Captain?"

"No it's not wrong, it's just not natural. I've known you for a long time, Janice, so as your friend I can honestly say that it takes _work_ to get along with you, because normally you _don't_ go out of your way to get along with other people. What makes Crawford and the other captains different from the rest of the universe?"

Lester's body tensed up then, and for a moment West thought her response would shake the roof. Instead, she crossed her arms and answered in a conspiratorial whisper. "You really want to know? Okay, fine. What makes the captains different is that right now they're in the best position to help me get what I want."

"Which would be…?" West prompted.

Lester was silent for a moment, then she looked around quickly before she answered in the same conspiratorial tone. "I want to be a starship captain."

West threw his head back and laughed. He continued to laugh until he could compose himself enough to look at her. The way she was glaring at him melted the smile from his face. "Oh my God," he said, "you're _serious_."

"Of course I'm serious!" Lester hissed. "Thanks so much for being _supportive_, by the way!"

"Janice, I'm sorry! I just couldn't picture you as a starship captain!"

"Are you saying I couldn't handle the job?"

"I don't even know why you'd want it! Do you really want to spend the rest of your life marching around one of these tubs like a good tin soldier?"

Lester shook her head. "I don't want to be a _Starfleet_ captain, Joe!"

"You lost me."

"Look, in five years the Space Probe Agency's ships are going to start getting delivered, right?" West nodded. "Well, they're going to need somebody to command them, aren't they? Who do you think they're going to consider first?"

West raised an eyebrow. "You?"

"Not just me! Every Science Officer in this fleet! By the time the ships are built we'll be the ones with the most practical experience, and the one with the most experience of the twelve of us is going to get the first ship. I intend for that person to be me!"

"And I still don't see _why_."

Lester grinned. "Because the power and respect that go along with being a starship captain are astonishing! I want that for myself! I want to be known as the fleet's first great Explorer commander! When I cross the threshold onto another ship, I want someone to announce '_Galaxy_, Arriving' and have people look at me in awe!"

West held up a hand. "Wait…why '_Galaxy_, Arriving'?"

Lester shrugged. "They announce commanders by their ships."

"That part I get. What makes you think your ship will be named _Galaxy_?"

"It's one of the names Dr. Narain is considering for the class."

"Yes, _one of_, just like you're _one of_ twelve Science Officers that, under your theory, will be considered to run the first ship. What makes you so sure you'll be picked?"

"I have just as much of a chance as any of the others."

"Janice…you weren't even one of the first choices for the Project! You were an alternate! The only reason you're here right now is because Cosmo Ertegan backed out!"

"Which just means I've been put in a position to benefit from his short-sightedness."

"So, Cosmo objecting on pacifist grounds afforded you the perfect opportunity to suck up to Starfleet's best and brightest?"

Lester shook her head. "You still don't get it. For as long as we're on these ships we're Starfleet officers, right? Well, in Starfleet there's a mentor-apprentice relationship among senior and junior officers, and _every_ officer, in one way or another, is an apprentice to the captain. I'm just trying to be the best apprentice I can be."

"Okay, but how does that help you?"

"A favorable recommendation from Captain Crawford on my behalf couldn't hurt. He'd do that for a regular Operations officer."

"But how do you know Dr. Narain or whoever makes the final decision will listen to his opinion?"

"I don't, but I know she _will_ listen to Admiral Jellico and _he_ sure as hell will listen to the captains."

West nodded. "Now, I see the method to your madness."

"That's right," Lester said with a grin, "and if you're real nice to me I may just make you my Executive Officer." With that she started for the lift again.

"You'll forgive me if I don't hold my breath," West deadpanned as he followed. Lester just rolled her eyes and kept going, so he continued: "So, what do you intend to do besides being 'the best apprentice you can be'?"

"Well, for starters I'm going to find the _Independence_."

"I think there are a few people around here that want to do that."

"True, but they're all following standard Starfleet procedures. You're going to help me brainstorm and come up with ideas they won't think of."

"What's the working theory so far?"

Lester huffed. "_Enterprise_'s ChEng has some cockamamie idea about the high-gain antennae thinking a Warp jump is a signal and shutting down."

"That's not cockamamie, Janice. A Warp event sends a signal through subspace the way a transmitter does. It's how other ships can track a ship entering or leaving Warp."

Lester turned to him when they reached the lift. "And something like that would play such hell with a starship's communications?"

West smirked. "It's the military. Everything's made by the lowest bidder and even the newest software has glitches."

Lester smiled. "See? _That_'s why I keep you around." With that she called the lift.

* * *

Later, _Enterprise_ pulled into orbit around Woden Four and conducted a flyby orbit. Pike was in Flag Plot monitoring all the ships in the CSAR force. McDonald had the center seat in Control, while Lester had taken over the Science station. At first she'd been hesitant to mess with Montoya's settings, but ultimately decided that setting the station up her way would help expedite things. Montoya could always reset them when she got back. "This planet is mostly land," Lester reported, "and mostly desert. What vegetation there is clustered around the few seas that are visible. I can understand why _Independence_ spent so little time in this system. This is the only planet that might support the type of civilization we're looking for." She turned to face McDonald. "If there were ever people here they abandoned the place long ago."

McDonald nodded. "Possibly, but they must have left some trace of themselves behind."

Lester turned back to her console. "Right," she said without much conviction. That was just the type of thinking that had people wasting their time looking for traces of civilization on Mars for a century. Just because a planet might have supported civilized life at one point didn't automatically mean that it ever…

_Wait a second…_ "Sensors, give me control of Probe 2!" Lester called out.

The Sensor Officer gave McDonald a quick glance. She nodded sharply in response and he complied with Lester's order. When she saw she had control Lester sent the probe into a lower orbit and used the optical system to home in on a patch of land near one of the oceans. At first glance it had just seemed like a large, rocky beach, but on closer inspection… "You may have been right, XO!" Lester said with a grin. "There are structures down there! Too small to notice on a cursory flyby, but definitely artificial!"

"Are they worth sending a shore party to investigate?" McDonald asked.

Lester turned to her. "Oh, yes! Definitely! I'd love to see what's down there!"

"Do you think _Indy_'s Science Officer might have had a similar reaction?"

"I'm sure of it! None of us would let an opportunity like this pass us by."

McDonald offered a small smile. "Very well," She touched a contact on the command chair. "Control to Plot."

Pike's voice sounded in Control. "Plot here."

"Captain, Commander Lester has found something on Four that she feels is worth looking into."

"Very good, Number One. Get her whatever she needs and send her down."

"Aye, Sir. Control out." McDonald closed the circuit and turned to Lester. "Well, what do you need?"

Lester stood and got serious. "First, since I don't have any of my research technicians with me I'd like to borrow a couple of engineer's mates, preferably ones familiar with how our tri-corders work."

"I can get you the engineers, of course, but I can't promise they'll be able to work the tri-corders. Up to now our Science Officer hasn't done much about training regular Starfleet personnel to use technology unique to the science mission."

"Of course she hasn't," Lester muttered. "Well, they're not _that_ hard to operate. Joe and I can show them on the way down. I'd also like to take a squad of Landers with us."

McDonald's eyebrow went up. "Would you?"

"If that's possible. I would just feel safer having them along."

"Of course. How do you want them equipped?"

"Basic Loadout. Field Jackets and caps, flak vests, Childress pistols…"

"I know what a Basic Loadout is, Commander."

"Yes, Sir, sorry. Joe and I and the engineers will be similarly equipped."

"Anything else?"

"No, Sir. That should be enough to start with."

"Very Well. Get the equipment you need signed out and get to the Hangar Deck. Your shore party should be waiting for you by the time you get there."

Lester grinned. "Yes, Sir! Thank you, Sir!" With that she left the Control Room.

When she was gone, Adams left the Engineering Watch station and approached the center chair and leaned close to McDonald's ear. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That we should steal her and her entire department and stick _Kitty Hawk_ with Montoya and her group?" McDonald said.

"Hey, even Captain Crawford thought that would be a good idea. You were here when he said it."

"It's tempting…but you have to take into consideration that Admiral Jellico made the appointments he made for a reason. I shudder to think what he might do if we started switching people 'round without his input."

"What could he do? He's all the way back on Earth."

"Well, for one thing he could send bigger and faster ships out to deal with us."

Adams thought about that for a minute. "You think he'd do that?"

"Without losing a moment of sleep," McDonald said.

Adams sighed. "Oh, well. Just a thought."

* * *

The Workhorse carrying Lester's shore party touched down on a stretch of sand in the midst of a few small ruins. Lester was the first out of the craft when the rear door opened. She looked around as the others disembarked. From what she could tell the ruins were actually the tops of much taller structures, though whether they were broken off or just buried she wouldn't know until they explored further. Eroded and covered with sand as they were it was hard to tell what they were from orbit, but now that she could see the area for herself she knew immediately what it was: a coastal city, long abandoned and devastated by the ravages of time and the elements. She stopped looking around when her eyes locked on a massive statue half-buried in the sand further down the beach. By the time she turned back to the Workhorse the entire party was ashore. "Joe, you and I are going to take a look at that statue," she said. She turned to the Lander squad leader. "Sgt. Rhys, I want you to divide your men into two teams. Assign one of the engineers to each team and conduct a building-to-building search. The engineers know what to look for. Lieutenant West and I will join you as soon as we're done looking at that statue, but as long as we're separated let's maintain regular radio contact, okay?"

Sgt. Rhys nodded. "Yes, Sir! Okay, everybody! You heard the lady! Listen up! Jonas, you take Stavros, Doohan and…"

Lester waited a minute as Rhys formed his teams, smiled and turned to head for the statue. West, as usual, fell in step beside her. "Now I'm beginning to see the 'why'," he said. "You like ordering people around, don't you?"

Lester grinned. "Well, can you blame me? Highly-trained and often well-armed people do what I tell them to do mainly without question. That's about the coolest thing I could ever experience in life."

"Maybe, but much as with Christmas presents, 'tis much better to give orders than to receive them. It's not like you're immune from having to do other peoples' bidding yourself."

"True, but if I'm a captain all the people qualified to give me orders will often be light-years away and will be more inclined to give me more leeway because of that fact."

"Everything's pie-in-the-sky with you isn't it?" West said. It made her chuckle. "Okay, let's look at it this way: what do you do if you don't get picked?"

"Well, so I don't get the first ship built. The plan is to build twenty of them. I'll just get one of those."

"No, I mean what if you don't get picked _at_ _all_? What if they don't end up building twenty ships and they stop before they get to the one earmarked for you, or what if you screw up so badly Narain and Jellico don't even want to consider you?"

"Well, I simply _refuse_ to screw up that badly…!"

"Sure. Just refuse. That _guarantees_ it will never happen!"

Lester ignored the sarcasm. "As for the other thing, well…" - she glanced back at the ruins - "maybe I'll just join Starfleet for real. Sure, it's not really the kind of life I'd want to lead, but at least I'd have a shot at my own command."

"With an equal chance of being shot at a lot in the event of a war."

"Oh…hush!" She decided to end the conversation right there instead of acknowledging that West might be right. West simply complied. He was used to her being abrupt with him.

It took them just over five minutes to reach the statue. It stood - haphazardly - at about thirty feet tall from the unburied part of the base to the top of the head. "He's humanoid," Lester said, stating the obvious. The being depicted had all the characteristics of a primate, with a few glaring differences from the body types the officers were used to. "There are just two nostrils where his nose should be…and the statue's only got one arm, but it looks like it was supposed to have _four_ of them!"

West was using his tri-corder to scan it. "The thing's made out of standard metal. Scanner says it's copper."

Lester was still taking in details of the sculpture. "That weapon in the arm looks like a battle axe. I wonder if the missing arms had weapons in them, too?" She took out her own tri-corder. "There are more traces of copper all over the area, but none big enough to be one of the other arms." She sounded disappointed.

"There's some writing on this side." West said.

Lester went around the statue to join him. She examined the lettering carefully. "Pictographs."

"You mean like hieroglyphics?"

"No, older, like cuneiform."

"What do you suppose it says?"

Lester used her tri-corder to record the images on video and tried to interpret the glyphs as she went, then she had a sudden insight. She stepped back a bit and looked at the position of the statue in relation to the ruins. When she thought she had an answer she turned off her tri-corder and huffed. "Y'know what it says, Joe? It says 'I am Ozymandius, King of Kings! Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!'"

West looked at her, then at the writing. "How could you possibly have figured that out so quickly?"

Lester smiled and shook her head. "It's an old poem, Joe."

West looked at her. "An old _Earth_ poem?"

"Actually, it's the _punch line _to an old Earth poem. We're probably standing over what was once a main approach road to the city before the sea claimed it. Lefty here is probably one of their greatest kings or a god or something. His job was to give newcomers a hint of the awe and majesty they were about to experience."

West backed up to where she was standing and looked at the statue the way she was. "I think I get it," he said.

She glanced at him, then looked at the statue again. "In all likelihood this hunk of copper will be the only thing about this place we'll find worth investigating. It's been ages since anything intelligent walked this world. Commander Mizuki probably figured the same thing when _Independence_ came here…"

"Which is why they were in such a hurry to leave."

"Right, and the bad news is we're wasting our time in this system. We know they got here and did their survey, so unless the ship blew up as they were going to Warp it's doubtful that we'll find any trace of it in this system."

"Janice…it _could_ have blown up as it went to Warp. The whole point of telling the crew to 'prepare for Space Warp' is that it's a real possibility with a finicky Warp engine."

"All right, fine, but do you really think that happened here? I think our captains are being overly thorough. If there's been any difficulty it happened in Menos Corva. We should tell…"

Her thought was interrupted by her radio. "Pike to Lester."

She took out the radio and activated it. "Lester here. Go ahead."

"Commander, collect your shore party and get back up here on the double. We're heading on to Menos Corva!"

Lester grinned. "Yes, Sir! We'll be right up! Lester out!" She used the radio to point at West. "See, Joe? I keep telling you: Never Doubt Me!" With that she started back for the city at a run. West took a minute to wonder about his friend's mental state before following.

* * *

"All ships will jump on my mark!" Pike called out. He was back in the center seat in Control. _Hornet _and _Kitty Hawk_ were on their way to rendezvous with _Enterprise_ in an area above Woden's ecliptic plane. All three starships were recovering their smallcraft as they maneuvered.

Lester found out the ship was at Departure Stations when she got onto the Hangar Deck, so she'd left her gear with West and rushed to the Control room only to find a Petty Officer in Gold sitting at the Science station. She approached the center chair. "Sir, did you want me to…"

"Go ahead and take your station, Commander," Pike said. "I still need you."

"Yes, Sir," she said. She went over and relieved the Petty Officer, then did her best to get the workstation ready for transit. The captain looked _pissed_.

She couldn't know that he was mainly mad at himself. _All that time wasted!_ Pike thought for the hundredth time.

It hadn't seemed like a waste at first. He had gone by-the-book as far as the search was concerned. He had a ship gone missing during a warp transit, two systems to search and only three starships and their attendant craft to search with. Under the circumstances it only made sense to concentrate on one system at a time, and there hadn't been any indication that either system should have been given priority…until _Enterprise_ lost contact with Hauler Two.

The transport carrying the Damage Control team had warped to Menos Corva without incident and tried to contact _Independence_ using short-range comms. When they didn't receive a response Hauler Two's pilot transmitted his intention to transit further in-system and see if he could locate _Indy_ near the planets she was supposed to investigate. Pike had sent his approval and requested periodic updates on Hauler Two's progress, then thought little of it. He didn't expect the Workhorse to search the entire system, given her limited sensors, so unless the starship was exactly where the pilot expected it to be Pike assumed the first progress report would be "No Joy" followed by an intention to continue hails. The last thing he expected was for Hauler Two to miss the first two check-in times.

Now he was _sure_ that the trouble was in Menos Corva and worried that gaining that knowledge might have cost him two good pilots, four good engineers and a valuable logistics asset.

"Sir, Connie Ten and Connie Fourteen are in position," the Communicator said, using the fleet call signs for _Hornet_ and _Kitty Hawk_. The other starships had each taken station off one of _Enterprise_'s "wings" and all three ships had laid in a course for the next system. "All smallcraft have been recovered and all ships are ready for Space Warp."

"Very Well," Pike said, "have all ships transit now."

"Yes, Sir. Connie One to all ships: Transit Now, Now, Now!"

The starships entered Warp as one and re-entered normal space seconds later on the outskirts of Menos Corva. The star system was a jumble of celestial design. A binary system, with one yellow sun and one red giant, it rested on the edge of the Corva nebula, a spiral of dust and gases ten light-years wide. Both stars had their own planetary systems, though all of the red giant's - MC1's - worlds had been incinerated during the star's expansion phase. The yellow sun - MC2 - was to be the subject of _Independence_'s survey. There were two worlds in its Goldilocks Zone which appeared to be sharing the same orbit. The Space Probe Agency was very curious to know if life could flourish on either or both worlds under such conditions.

"Communicator, have all ships go to active scanning," Pike said, "then keep trying to contact Hauler Two. Sensors, report all contacts and begin STC tracking. Navigator, set course for MC2 Gemini. Number One, take us in, Ahead Slow."

The officers acknowledged and complied. _Enterprise _proceeded into the system at one-third Sub-Light speed, scanning at full power and maximum range and calling out to her lost spacecraft. _Hornet_ and _Kitty Hawk_ stayed on her wings and followed suit. Datalinks between the three starships allowed them to share their sensor information instantaneously, allowing for a more detailed overall picture.

"Reading the major bodies of the system," The Sensor Officer said, "two stars, one red, one yellow, eleven planets between them. Now reading minor bodies…"

Lester was looking at that overall picture as the Sensor Officer called out contacts. As Science Officer it was her job to point out anything that the Sensor Officer might dismiss as a normal contact. So far she hadn't seen anything worth reporting, but with so many smaller and smaller contacts appearing on her screen she felt that could change any second. She started marking the natural satellites as they appeared along the ships' flight path, waiting patiently for the sensors to start picking up objects small enough to be artificial. When those started appearing she looked even more closely and marked the objects likely to be ships or artificial satellites. Most of these objects were clustered around MC2's twin planets. That made Lester doubly curious. Were they native to the mini-system, or were they probes from somewhere else?

She was so wrapped up in the idea that she almost missed something important. "Sensors," she said, "did you say radiation sources?"

"Yes, Sir," the Sensor Officer said. "There are two very hot sources of neutron radiation in the vicinity of one of the planets. There's also some traces of neutron radiation among the derelicts in the libration point."

"I see…" Lester muttered. The derelicts and the radiation sources were part of the new set of contacts that came up as _Enterprise_ turned toward the twins. "Captain, can we head for those radiation sources and focus on them?"

Pike checked the Sensor station repeater, then said, "Helm, come left two degrees and slow to Ahead Creep." When McDonald complied: "Something on your mind, Commander Lester?"

"It's just that…if all that stuff in orbit and the libration point is derelict, why is anything radiating?"

"Maybe not all of it's derelict."

"Okay, but why _neutron_ radiation? Why not something that makes sense, like a radio signal? It's just, like, two orbiting hot spots. You see what I mean?"

"You have a bad feeling about them?" Pike said. She nodded. "Sensors, can we resolve the objects better?"

"Not with the EM sensor," Sensors said. "The objects are too hot. Wait one. I'll focus on one with the optical system." Everyone waited as the officer worked. Pike kept his gaze on the repeater as the image switched to an optical picture and zoomed in on a particular object.

Pike was out of the chair as soon he could see the object clearly. "Number One, rendezvous with that target _right now_!" His gaze turned to the main viewer as McDonald accelerated toward the twin planets. It was only a few minutes before the object was discernible on the main viewer.

"Oh my god," Lester said.

Now everyone was looking at the main viewer, watching in horror as the radioactive object enlarged as the ship got closer. It was the USS _Independence_, dark, charred, hanging derelict in space.


	3. Segment Two

**DISCLAIMER:** _Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission._

**STAR TREK:**

**MISSING MAN**

**By Darrin Colbourne

* * *

**

"Battle Stations, all ships!" Pike called out.

The Communicator got on Intercraft. "Now hear this: All Hands, man your Battle Stations! Repeat: All Hands to Battle Stations! This is not a drill!" She switched to the ship-to-ship circuit. "Connie One to All Ships: Man your Battle Stations!"

Janice Lester's heart skipped a beat when she saw the lights in Control switch from white to red. She was worried it had stopped beating altogether. They had done several Battle Stations drills aboard _Kitty_ _Hawk_ since leaving Earth, of course, but they were always just that: drills. She'd gotten used to the notion of just practicing for an eventuality she never thought would come up during the cruise. Now it seemed like Pike was taking them into battle for real, and she realized immediately that she had several problems with that. One was that after all the drilling she was used to working with Captain Crawford and thus had no idea what Pike expected of her in this situation. Another was that for all her studying and marking she couldn't see anything worth shooting at. She assumed that Pike was assuming the loss of the _Independence_ was due to foul play, but they had no real evidence of that yet.

Then there was the _really big_ reason: The idea of her being shot at had stopped being a matter of academic discussion and become a real possibility! The irony of that was that her first wish was to be back aboard _Kitty Hawk_ facing it instead of simply not being anywhere near the battle, but she had to admit Joe West had been right. It was hard for her to make friends, yet she'd made several real friends aboard _Hawk_ in the past months and realized if she had to die she preferred to be with them when it happened.

"New contact! Radiation bloom!" The Sensor Officer called out. "Starboard quarter, low!" A harsh, repetitive beep sounded from his console. "VAMPIRE! VAMPIRE! Directed Energy contact across our bow!"

The main viewer showed the invisible beam as a false-color image. It showed as a heavy white beam cutting across _Enterprise_'s path and ending in a massive explosion on the surface of the planet to her port.

"Another bloom, starboard high!" Sensors said. "VAMPIRE! Another beam! That one missed us aft!"

_Think, Janice!_ Lester told herself. She shut her eyes tight, took a deep breath and then looked at her display. The radiation blooms were coming from the field of derelicts in the libration point and each one preceded the ray beams. Obviously there was a connection, but would destroying the derelicts in the field end the attack?

"Another beam, aft!" Sensors called out.

"Connie Ten is reporting damage!" The Communicator called.

There wasn't time to hedge any bets. "Captain," Lester called out, "target the debris in the libration point!"

"Torpedoes or beams?" Pike said.

Lester shrugged. "Whatever will blow all of it up the fastest!"

Pike nodded. "Fire Control, set solutions for the torpedoes to fire-for-effect in the debris field! Communicator, have all ships coordinate with our controller and follow suit. Reload with Mark Tens till we run out or they stop shooting!" Just to punctuate the order another beam missed the starships low.

Each starship fired the two Mark Ten torpedoes in her launch tubes on the signal of _Enterprise_'s Fire Control Officer. He checked the projected damage-assessment data on his console, then set up two more salvos. The eighteen thermonuclear devices crossed the void in seconds at half the speed of light and detonated in unison at their pre-arranged firing points. The resultant nuclear blast set off hundreds of secondary explosions across the field. The area glowed like a small third sun until the explosions died down.

When everything was quiet, Lester let out a breath and closed her eyes, then leaned forward until her forehead touched the main display on the Science station. "Oh, thank goodness…" she whispered.

A hand on her shoulder startled her. It was Captain Pike. "So," he said, "not all derelicts?"

She smiled weakly. "No, Sir. Not all of them."

He nodded. "Good job, Commander. Now I need you to tell me what I just destroyed." He stepped away. "Sensors, is the other hot source you detected our transport?"

The Sensor Officer changed the angle on the optical system. "That's affirmative, Sir."

Pike grimaced as he looked at the screen and saw _Independence_ again. "Communicator, try to raise both ships." He looked to the Engineering section. "ChEng, we'll need to do a radiation damage assessment on them before we can bring out any survivors."

Adams stepped into Control. "Sir, if those beams scored direct hits on them…"

"Just _do it_, Commander."

Adams frowned slightly, but only hesitated long enough to say "Aye, Sir," before carrying out the order.

Lester forced herself to keep silent, remembering Captain Crawford's earlier admonition, but she couldn't help finishing what Adams was going to say in her head: _If those beams scored direct hits there's no way there will be any survivors._ It was an ugly truth, but an undeniable one. She wasn't an engineer, but she had access to the exact same sensor data and just knew that a beam powerful enough to turn Starfleet ships into cinders would also be devastating for the people inside them. Surely Captain Pike could see that, so why go through the motions? Was it duty, or simply denial? And if the latter, was it a trait common to starship captains, or simply part of Pike's personality? She didn't know, and for the moment she didn't have time to explore the matter. She had her own orders to carry out. "I'll need a tactical probe launched…" she said to Pike.

* * *

_Enterprise_ launched a Remote Repair Drone along with the tactical probe. As Lester used the probe to explore the derelict field, the maintenance robot would be used to conduct the damage assessment on _Independence_ and the Workhorse. Adams had detailed MCPO Robert Garrison to lead the operation, so _Enterprise_'s Command Master Chief was guiding the drone from his station in Main Damage Control. The other chiefs in the space had gathered around the master display to watch as the feed from the drone came in. "Here goes nothing," Garrison said as he sent the drone toward the Workhorse, then he and his colleagues waited in silence until the two spacecraft rendezvoused. The drone had been programmed to conduct several slow orbits around the transport, then hold position just ahead of the cockpit glass and await further instructions. Everyone came to the same conclusion as the drone showed them details of the transport's incinerated hull: the vessel was a total loss.

What they saw next confirmed that in the worst way. "Oh my God," someone said, pain in his voice.

The drone had just given them their look inside the cockpit. The bodies of the flight crew were still strapped into their seats. Their faces were frozen into masks of pain and fear, while their bodies were scored and twisted, destroyed from within by the same beam that had turned the transport into a blackened hulk.

Garrison swallowed hard at the sight, then he averted his eyes as he sent new commands to the drone. The device pulled away from the cockpit and moved toward the back of the transport. Once there, it found the external controls for the loading hatch and tried to operate them with a manipulator arm. When nothing happened, the drone repositioned itself and cut a hole in the hatch using a welding laser. Decompression pushed the cutout into space and the drone entered the ship. It took a few moments to scan the cargo bay, then made it's way to the stairs leading to the passenger area. Since the drone was too big to enter that compartment itself, it extended another arm with a camera mounted on it to get a view of the Damage Control team. Several of the chiefs turned away at the sight. The bodies of the four engineers were in the same state as those of the pilots.

Garrison sent new commands to the drone when he'd seen enough. The drone buttoned up and pulled out of the transport. "Have you ever seen anything so horrible?" Someone behind him said.

"We haven't seen 'horrible' yet," Garrison said as the drone headed for _Independence_.

* * *

Some time later, Pike, Ortiz, Crawford and Lester were gathered with _Enterprise_'s senior staff and Lieutenant Joe West in Flag Plot. Commander Adams was giving his report. "Both ships are total losses. Every surface of the _Independence_ is heavily contaminated with neutron radiation and the background radiation aboard both craft is off the scale."

"And there are no survivors," Pike said. It wasn't a question. It sounded as if he had to say it to make himself believe it.

"No, Sir. Our drone searched every compartment of both ships. Both crews were completely lost."

"How in the hell did this happen?" Crawford said, sounding incredulous. "I can understand losing a transport, but how in the hell does someone get the drop on a _starship_ like this?"

"Commander," Ortiz said, "can we recover _Independence_'s black box?"

"Getting it isn't the problem, Captain," Adams said. "Our preliminary tests show that _Independence_'s systems were all fried in the initial assault. Even if we recovered the box, there may not be any useful data left on it for us to analyze."

"It doesn't matter," Pike muttered. When everyone turned to him, he said, "We don't need the black box to figure out what happened here. _Indy_ made it out of the Woden system, then there was some kind of communications glitch when she reentered normal space, so she couldn't report in. Captain Kono must have decided to continue the mission while they made repairs, so he went on to his target worlds and got ambushed by whatever attacked us. We were at Battle Stations with all our electronic countermeasures running, so we were harder to track. If Gabe went in with his guard down…"

"Well, why should his guard have been up?" Crawford said bitterly. "After all, we're on a _peaceful_ exploration mission, aren't we?"

With that, all eyes in the room turned to Lester and West, and suddenly the Science Officer felt very small. West, on the other hand, was indignant at what the Captain was implying, but for his friend's sake he kept his mouth shut.

Ortiz brought the discussion back to the matter at hand. "Well, all I know is that we weren't all that hard to track. One of those beams clipped our port nacelle good. It barely got a piece of the aft end and we're _still_ trying to decontaminate and make repairs."

"Do you think you'll need to replace the engine?" Pike said.

"It's not that bad yet. None of the major systems were effected, so we still have full power and full Space Warp capability, but the nacelle itself is radiating heavily and starting to deform in the effected area, and that's wrecking our target profile."

"And _that_ will be a problem if someone else gets it into their heads to take some more potshots at us," Crawford said.

"That's not going to happen," Pike said. "We're going to stay at Battle Stations until we find out who's doing the shooting and we've dealt with them." He turned to Lester. "Commander, what have you found out about those derelicts?"

Lester looked around, then got closer to the plotting table. "From what Joe and I can tell it was a constellation of defense satellites. Most of the satellites seemed to have either been destroyed in combat or rendered useless from years of neglect, but at least a fourth of them were still active before we bombarded the libration point. Most of them are out of commission now, but a couple survived." She activated the plot table and displayed an image of one of the satellites.

McDonald examined the image. "A beam weapon?"

"A poor-man's beam weapon," West explained. "A perfect example of making the most out of what you have. See, back when we started thinking seriously about beam weapons we realized we had two problems to overcome: How do you provide enough energy to the beam to make it destructive and, once you figure that out, how do you contain that energy until you're ready to use it? It looks like whoever made these satellites went with a shortcut that was discussed in our history but never actually used." West expanded the image and pointed at one end of the satellite. "You make a bomb, and use the energy of its detonation to power the beam."

"You're kidding!" Crawford said. "A bomb-pumped laser? Somebody actually got that to work?"

"Yes, Sir, and strictly-speaking it's a bomb-pumped particle beam. The bomb goes off and the weapon itself survives just long enough to channel a stream of neutrons toward a target. The intensity and range of the beam are determined by the size of the bomb and the sturdiness of the projector."

"That's what we were seeing when we were attacked," Lester said. "The radiation blooms were the detonations of the bombs powering the neutron beams. They started going off as soon as we were in range and the weapons had something to track."

"Why didn't this one go off?" Ortiz said.

"It was facing the wrong way. We _think_ that the satellites were all positioned in certain areas of the libration point to cover specific areas of space. This satellite looks devoid of any way to change its orientation or position, so it could only attack if we flew into its line of fire."

"So those satellites just fired on us because we were _there_?" Pike said.

"It may be more complicated than that, but not much more. When we reviewed our own flight data we saw that there was no evidence of any command signals being sent to the satellites, so they were automated, and they were probably programmed with a simple command: 'If it enters your kill zone, kill it.'"

Pike closed his eyes and let that sink in. When he opened them again he looked straight through Lester. "Who put them there?"

Lester didn't like the look on his face at all, but she answered honestly. "Realistically there's no way to tell. Since all of them were essentially locked in place there's no vector for us to backtrack to a launch point, but the technology is too crude to have come from outside the system. Our best guess is that they came from the Gemini worlds."

"Both of them? What makes you think that?"

"The satellites that attacked us were positioned to cover near orbit around Gemini 2, which we were passing when we entered the area," West said. "The one pictured here is best set up to cover an area around Gemini 1."

Pike thought about that for a minute. "What do you make of that, Number One?"

McDonald went to the table and called up an image of the whole debris field and examined the scene with an intelligence expert's eye. "It makes sense. Positioned as they were they could all have ranged over one hemisphere of either planet."

"For what purpose?" Ortiz said.

"Air defense, most likely. If one or both sides had developed an interplanetary missile capability, this might be an option for shooting those missiles down…until enough satellites are used up to form a gap in the coverage. That's one of the problems with a defense like this. Each weapon only gets one shot."

"All right," Pike said, "Let's see what happened when the missile shields stopped working."

* * *

The three starships approached the twin worlds by skirting the libration point, using their point-defense lasers to destroy any other satellites that looked even partially intact. Then they split up. _Hornet_ remained above the debris field to keep an eye out for any satellites they might have missed. _Kitty Hawk_ diverted to Gemini 2, while _Enterprise _diverted to Gemini 1. Once in position, _Kitty Hawk_ and _Enterprise_ began scanning their respective targets.

Janice Lester was back at the Science Station in _Enterprise_'s control room collating data from both ships. "They beat the hell out of each other," she breathed.

It was obvious that both worlds had been home to thriving civilizations, but those civilizations were now in ruins, destroyed by the ravages of war. Massive cities had been reduced to rubble by what could only have been frightful nuclear explosions, evidenced by the fact that the ambient radiation levels on both worlds were well above where they should have been for life-bearing planets.

"Your assessment, Commander?" Pike said to her from the center seat.

"It would be a miracle if anyone survived these attacks, Sir," Lester said.

"Someone could always have gotten lucky."

Lester checked the radiation readings again. "I wouldn't call the survivors 'lucky,' Sir. The Ten Plagues were miracles, too."

Pike checked the Science Station repeater. "Is there this much destruction all around both planets?"

"Yes, Sir. Their rotations are mirrored, so they might have just kept firing at each other until both surfaces were devastated."

"Could they have hated each other that much?" McDonald said. "Where's the advantage in this for either side?"

"I don't think the natives were being very rational when they did this, XO. I doubt we'd ever find a _good_ reason for all of it."

"Frankly, I don't care," Pike said. His tone of voice made McDonald and Lester turn to look at him. He turned to Lester and said, "I just want to know one thing: Is there _any_ form of functioning civilization on either world? Preferably one with leaders that can take responsibility for what happened today?"

Lester just stared at him for a few seconds, then she turned back to her console and checked her readings again. "If there is," she said softly, "it exists on the low end of the Potter scale. No detectable traces of energy usage or construction, or any industry at all. There obviously hasn't been any real recovery from the war." She turned to him. "Under these circumstances we'd never detect any post-apocalyptic civilization from orbit. It would most likely have gone underground to avoid the worst of the radiation, and even that wouldn't do much good."

"So you're saying there is no one left on either world?"

"No, Sir. I'm saying the only way to know for sure would be for us to go down there, and that course of action brings a whole new set of problems with it. Even in hostile environment gear we wouldn't last very long at these radiation levels, which means we'd have very little time to find the natives and even less time to root them out, assuming there's anyone to root out at all. And even if we could root them out…well, what do you think they'd think of us barging in and disrupting whatever existence they managed to eke out for themselves? I think they'd be upset."

Pike looked at her, then he looked at the repeater above her head, then he stood up. "I'm willing to take that chance," he said coldly. "Pick out the places on Gemini 1 that are most likely to be good shelter in an environment like this, then assemble your team. We're going down there."

The "we're" made McDonald's eyebrows go up. "Sir," she said as calmly as possible, "it is customary for the Captain to remain aboard when conducting landings in hostile territory. Perhaps I should go…"

"It's customary, Number One," Pike said, "not _mandatory_. If there's someone down there to see I want to see them with my own eyes. I'll be fine. After all, Commander Lester is going to pick the shore party, and she's one Science Officer who has no problem including Landers on Away missions, right Commander?"

Lester looked confused for a moment, then she smiled. "Right," she said, "no problem at all."

* * *

With _Enterprise_ down two transports it would have been impractical for him to take all the Landers Commander Lester wanted from his own ship, so Pike asked Ortiz and Crawford to contribute one squad each of their own Landers. They readily agreed, and soon transports from all three ships were transiting down to Gemini 1 carrying a full platoon of Landers, along with Captain Pike, Commander Lester, Lieutenant West and two more of _Enterprise_'s engineers. The whole group was in radiation suits and the Landers were sporting full combat loadouts, complete with MetalStorm automatic rifles, "stacked-ordnance" slug-throwing firearms that everyone expected to function in the irradiated environment better than any of the available directed energy weapons. The Starfleet officers and engineers were armed with automatic pistols using the same technology, and as they descended Lester gave Pike a brief rundown on operating the tri-corder he'd offered to carry.

The transports landed in the middle of a ruined city, setting down in a barren stretch of land that might once have been a park. The Landers disembarked on the double and secured the area around the transports, clearing the way for the officers to disembark. Lieutenant Jack Royko, the _Enterprise_ Lander officer in charge of the security force, turned to his superiors and said through his suit's radio, "Sirs, I suggest we leave one squad here to provide security for the landing zone. That will still leave us enough men for mission security."

Lester turned to Pike. "Captain?"

"It's still your survey, Commander," Pike said. "Do what you think is best."

"Yes, Sir." She turned to Royko. "Deploy your men, Lieutenant. We'll move out in a few minutes."

Royko moved off with an "Aye Aye, Sir!" When he was gone Lester checked her tri-corder. Just as she feared, the radiation in the atmosphere was interfering with her active scans, but passive scans turned up some promising readings.

She turned to Pike and said, "All right…if there are any survivors at all they'd be living in underground shelters. The problem is the best shelters will be deep underground, too deep for us to get to and back before the radiation filters in our suits are saturated."

Pike checked the rad count on his suit's wrist controls. "At these levels we've got about thirty minutes."

"Exactly," Lester said, "so our best bet is to explore shelters of convenience; basements, vaults, windowless buildings, underground rail systems. This city has an extensive network of subway tunnels running through it. There might be people living in the deepest parts. It's doubtful that they'll be the kind of officials you're looking for, but maybe if we can find them and can find a way to say 'Take us to your leaders'…" She shrugged.

"That's good enough," Pike said. "How do we get into the subway from here?"

Lester pointed northeast. "There's an entrance about fifty meters in that direction."

"Let's get moving," Pike said, then he started off toward the subway. Lester fell in step behind him, then looked over her shoulder and waved for the others to follow. West and the two engineers fell in behind her, while Royko and the remaining Landers formed a perimeter around the others, rifles at the ready. The group moved at a steady march to the subway entrance. They reached it a minute or two later and stopped to examine it. The signs identifying the station were broken and partially collapsed, and the intact portions were marked in an unknown language.

"Man, that Ozymandius really got around," West muttered as he looked at the markings.

"What was that?" Pike said.

"Nothing," Lester said, just before glaring at West through her helmet. "It was nothing." She turned to Royko. "We're ready to proceed, Lieutenant."

"Detail!" Royko called out as he waved for the nearest pair of Landers to proceed into the subway entrance. The men went in with their weapons raised and proceeded to the bottom of the stairs, then they stopped and swept the landing. When they radioed "All Clear" Royko brought up his weapon and led the rest of the shore party into the subway, then they regrouped and headed further into the station, where they encountered their first obstacle.

"It's a turnstile!" Lester said. They were all staring at a rusted, cage-like structure separating them from the subway platform. Each door in the cage was bordered by a dead, complicated-looking mechanism.

"And here we are without farecards," West quipped.

"Guess we'll just have to jump it," Pike said.

Royko took the cue. He called two Landers over and had them place breaching charges on one of the doors. When they were done he had everyone fall back to the stairs. "Take cover! Use your hearing protection!" He called out. With that everyone turned off their external audio pick-ups and hunkered down in the stairwell. When he saw everyone was ready he called out, "Fire in the Hole!"

A signal from his wrist controls detonated the charges, blowing the cage door onto the platform with what to the shore party was a muffled thud. Royko had four Landers moving to the platform before the smoke cleared. They stopped at the edge and paired off to cover the tunnel in both directions. Royko got everyone else moving as the men on the platform sounded the "All Clear."

Lester was stunned at the condition of the platform and the tracks beyond. "This is amazing! Look how intact this place is!"

West gave her an incredulous look. "Intact? Janice, this platform is a mess, those tracks look like a herd of elephants trampled them, and those supports are hopelessly deformed…"

"And all of it was caused by the Big Ol' Nuclear War that happened topside, I know, but that war was decades ago and we still had to blow the turnstile up to get in here! Whoever built this place built it to last!" She checked her tri-corder and grinned. "And I'm sure the _survivors_ who have been living down here are grateful for that!"

Pike turned to her immediately. "You're getting life signs?"

"In both directions. I think we woke the natives with our charges. The signs are faint, but they're active, and they're not us." Suddenly she was lost in thought. She looked down the right side of the tunnel, then the left, then turned to Pike and said sheepishly, "I'm not sure which way we should go."

"Not a problem," Pike said. "You and West will go right, Royko and I will go left. We'll each take an engineer and a squad of Landers." He checked his own tri-corder, then drew his weapon. "If you make contact, try and get whoever you see to go back and get his leaders. Fire only in self-defense."

Lester gulped unobtrusively as Pike gathered his party and headed for the left end of the platform, then she whispered "Aye, Sir," and led the rest of the group right. The service stairs at that end were too damaged to use, so she and the others had to jump down onto the tracks.

"Everybody watch out for the rails!" West called out as he helped Lester down. "Whichever one is the power rail might still carrying a charge!"

"I'm sure it's not still carrying a charge under these conditions, Joe," Lester said.

West put his helmet against hers and said softly, "Hey, _you_ were the one talking about how intact everything is."

Lester winced. "I did say that, didn't I?"

West backed off without another word. Lester turned and pointed her tri-corder down the tunnel, then she took a deep breath and led off. West and the engineer checked their own tri-corders and fell in step, while the Landers watched everybody's flank and "six." The whole group spread out lengthwise along the tracks, giving the rails as wide a berth as possible.

The tracks ran within sight of three other sets of tracks off to their left for several meters, then ran into their own individual tunnel. As they entered the tunnel there was a sharp downgrade, leading the party deeper underground. They also lost the ambient light coming from the surface, so everyone switched on their suit lights, while the Landers also turned on their gun-mounted flashlights. Lester concentrated on her tri-corder readings the whole way. "The readings are firming up," she said. "Bio-signs, plus some signs of processed metals are showing up through the interference."

"I'm catching the bio-signs," West said. "They're firming up ahead of us…and to our left."

"The other tunnels," a Lander said. "There may be someone in them tracking us."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Lester said. "None of the readings are conclusive. For all we know, we're tracking a bunch of alien rats."

"Yes, Sir," the Lander said, "alien rats." Then he shouldered his rifle and kept a close eye on the dilapidated wall to their left.

They continued on for several minutes, following the strengthening bio-sign readings ahead of them. At one point Lester checked her wrist controls, marking the time and the level of radiation her suit's filters had absorbed. Just as she started thinking about how long it would be before they had to start back some movement in the shadows caught her eye. She immediately pulled her sidearm and turned toward it, catching it with her suit lights. For the briefest of moments a scaly, cat-sized, six-legged creature was illuminated. It stared at them for a split-second, then scurried out of the light and headed along the tracks in the direction of the platform. Everyone's eyes were on it as it made its getaway.

Lester let out a quiet breath of relief and smiled as she said, "See, everyone? Alien rats. They're kind of like targhs. Have you guys ever seen one of…"

She was interrupted by the heavy thud of something falling in her path. Her eyes went wide as she faced forward, then she screamed at the shadowy figure in front of her. The Landers had their weapons up and covering the figure immediately, bathing it in their weapons' lights and letting everyone see it clearly.

It was humanoid and Lester's height, but had the stocky build and muscles of an Olympic weightlifter. It was covered head to foot with a heavy coat of long, gray fur, but in spite of this it was clothed in barely serviceable tatters that looked as if they hadn't been washed in ages. It glared at Lester with animal-like black eyes that adorned a porcine face, complete with oversized nostrils at the end of an almost flat nose and a small mouth that revealed rows of jagged teeth as the alien breathed heavily through it. The sight of the creature alone would have been menacing enough, but it was also brandishing a makeshift bludgeon that looked like a baseball bat with pieces of concrete lashed to it.

Lester spent long seconds staring back at the creature, then she held up her tri-corder hand to the Landers and said, "Don't shoot." She then slowly holstered her weapon and turned the tri-corder to the creature, then she spent a few more seconds getting clearer readings and recording them. "My, you're a strong one aren't you? And you've adapted to the radiation in the atmosphere well."

The alien, still glaring at her, said angrily, "_Renta rauw kauw!"_

Lester held up her free hand to the alien and slowly lowered the tri-corder. "No need to be unfriendly," she said with a pleasant smile. "I only wanted to study you…"

The alien gnashed his teeth, then raised the club and screamed "_RENTA RAUW KAUW!!!"_

Lester caught the sound of automatic weapons fire just as the alien started to bring the weapon down on her head. Intermittent flashes amplified the weapon lights and heralded each impact on the alien's jerking frame. The shooting didn't stop until he fell back onto the tracks with another dull thud.

The Science Officer looked around her. Four of the Landers had moved up to flank her without her even noticing, giving them a clear shot at the alien. That didn't surprise her. It was why she liked having them along. What _did _surprise her was that West had his weapon out as well, and it was smoking just as much as the rifles the Landers were carrying. "You all right?" he asked.

Lester faced forward again, closed her eyes and tried to get her heart started again. As she tried to calm down she ignored the soft beeping in her helmet that was trying to warn her that her suit's waste management system was near its capacity. "I'm fine…" she rasped. A second later she found the strength to turn off the warning alarm, then she said more forcefully, "I'm fine."

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" West said as he lowered his weapon.

The Lander Sergeant commanding the squad pointed his weapon up so that the light shined on the ceiling. "Up there. Plenty of handholds. He must have been up there waiting for us to either pass or get distracted."

Lester ignored them. Her attention was riveted to the dead alien. Black blood stained his tattered clothing in several places and a pool of it was spreading under his corpse.

"We need to go, Janice," West said.

"We can't leave," she said. "We killed him. I didn't want to kill him. We _needed_ him. The Captain said…"

"_Forget_ what the Captain said! If you don't want anyone else to die we need to get out of here right now!"

"We might have a problem doing that, Lieutenant," another Lander said. Everyone turned to him. He and the Lander next to him had their weapons shouldered and were covering their rear. Further down the tunnel, half-a-dozen more natives were charging toward them, brandishing brickbats of various types.

The Sergeant got close to Lester and shouldered his weapon. "It's your call, Commander," he said. "If we press on we're gonna have to double-time it. If we go back, we're going through them."

It was a crappy choice, but Lester didn't take long to make a decision. She _didn't_ want anyone else to die. "We press on."

The Sergeant raised his weapon and called out, "Squad! Withdraw! Down the tunnel, on the double!"

On that order, Lester's party turned, got past the dead alien in their path, then ran full tilt further into the tunnel and didn't stop running until they ran into another major obstruction. There was a half-derailed subway train in their way. They stopped at the train's front end, then Lester, West and the engineer put their backs to it and drew their weapons as the Landers formed a skirmish line a few feet away and brought their weapons to bear on the approaching natives.

As she waited for the impending slaughter, Lester took a moment to glance back at the train and caught sight of a shape in one of the windows. She turned fully so that her suit lights would catch whatever it was. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was a smaller, less hairy native. A child! They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, then a grown-up came up behind the child and pulled it back into the train car.

Just then Lester heard the Sergeant say, "Squad! Lay down suppressive fire on my mark!"

She turned to the Landers and said, "No! Belay that order! Stand down and lower your weapons!"

West turned to her. "Are you crazy, Janice?!"

She holstered her weapon and glared at him. "That's an _order_, Lieutenant! And it goes for everyone! Lower your weapons!"

Slowly, reluctantly, West and the engineer holstered their sidearms. After a confirming nod from the Sergeant the Landers complied, pointing their weapons toward the ground, but keeping them in position to be brought up again immediately.

The natives slowed to a stop just a few feet away from the Landers. They screamed in their language and waved their weapons, trying their best to frighten the intruders.

"Don't move," Lester said. "Don't give them any reason to attack. Let them get it out of their system."

After a minute or two of screaming, one of the natives held his hand up and said something to the others. They all quieted down and simply held their weapons at the ready, paying close attention to the intruders with the guns.

When she saw they had calmed down enough to see reason, Lester held up her empty hands and started walking forward. "These guys are just protecting their loved ones," she said. "There are people on the train, their families. We've already demonstrated that we're a threat by killing their friend. Now we have to demonstrate that we don't mean to be one."

She walked through the Landers and came close to the native that had calmed the others down, hands raised all the way. "Please, don't kill me," she muttered as she bowed her head and closed her eyes. She waited several seconds, then looked the native in the eye.

The native glared at her. "Renta rauw kauw," he said.

Lester nodded. She had no idea what the actual translation would be, but now that she'd seen the train, the intent was clear: "This is our home."

"Everybody line up behind me," she said, "slowly. Keep your weapons down."

Her party complied. West and the engineer lined up first, then the Landers. There was little space between Lester and the train, so it was a tight fit, but soon the Earth people were all standing single file.

Lester glanced back to be sure, then turned to the native and raised her right hand as high as it would go and pointed to the ceiling. "Renta rauw kauw," she said through her suit's external speaker. She hoped she had interpreted correctly. It would suck if she were simply accepting a challenge for personal combat.

The native looked at her strangely, then looked where she was pointing, then glared at her again. "Kayur avak norat," he growled.

Lester lowered her hands and bowed her head again, hoping that just meant "Go back where you came from." Apparently it did. The natives parted, giving the Earth people a way past them.

"Start walking," she said to the others. "Don't look at them. Keep your eyes straight ahead and follow me." With that she led off, trying to maintain a normal pace. They were past the natives a few seconds later, but Lester maintained the pace, not wanting to set them off for any reason.

Halfway back to the platform, Pike's voice sounded in her ear. "Pike to Lester."

Lester keyed her long-range radio. "Lester here," she said.

"We're on our way back to the platform. We haven't found anything at this end of the tunnel but scaly rats. How about you? Have any luck?"

She thought about it for a second. "Some, yes."

Pike remembered their earlier conversation. "Need any help?"

"No, Sir. We're heading back, too. I'll explain everything when I see you again."

"I'll be looking forward to that explanation. Pike out."

Lester walked the rest of the way in silence, sure as anything that Captain Pike wouldn't be happy with what she had to say at all.


	4. Segment Three

**DISCLAIMER:** _Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission._

**STAR TREK:**

**MISSING MAN**

**By Darrin Colbourne

* * *

**

"What do you mean 'We should leave'?" Captain Pike said to Commander Lester after the shore party regrouped on the platform and she made her report. "You just got through telling me that you found the natives."

"Yes, Sir, I did, but they're not the natives you want."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Lester took a step closer and looked Pike in the eye. "Sir, I know what you're looking for, okay? The people down here aren't the ones you want, and they can't lead us to the ones you want. I don't think anyone can."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The people who built those satellites, the politicians that ordered them deployed, they're all either long dead or doddering old men. At best, you'd have to hold their grandchildren and great grandchildren responsible for the loss of _Independence_ and your transport, and the only way to get to them would be to find the shelters that the government officials went to when the war started, and getting into those would require a full-scale invasion force."

"From what I've seen of this world I think I have all the manpower I'd need."

"Yes, Sir, I agree, but what good would starting a war with these people do?"

"Their weapons killed our people and destroyed our ships! As far as I'm concerned, if there's a war they started it!"

"And three starships could easily finish it, but in this situation all it would mean is spreading the rubble around a little more" - she pointed into the right end of the tunnel - "_and_ killing people whose only crime was trying to defend their hovel with sticks and stones!"

Pike looked where she was pointing, and even through the radiation suit she could see his stance soften just a little. When she saw that she took the opportunity to drive the point home.

"Captain, as a Science Officer it's my job to give you options for completing our mission. In this case, it's my opinion that we should begin recovery operations ASAP. There is no tactical or strategic gain in resuming combat operations."

For a long time it seemed as if Pike hadn't heard her. He just kept staring into the tunnel. She had no idea what was going on behind his brow as he stared, but ultimately, he took deep breath and keyed his long-range radio. "Pike to _Enterprise_."

McDonald responded in his ear. "_Enterprise_ here."

"We're done down here, Number One. Send Captains Ortiz and Crawford my compliments and ask them to report to the ship. We need to talk about recovery operations."

Lester smiled at him as he heard McDonald respond, "Aye, Sir. _Enterprise_ out."

When the circuit was closed Pike said to Lester, "For recovery operations I won't be needing a Science Officer. I appreciate your help, Commander. You and Lieutenant West can report back to your ship with _Kitty Hawk_'s Landers."

Lester hoped her sigh of relief wasn't _too_ obvious when she responded, "Aye, Sir."

* * *

Recovery operations began with teams of engineers in hostile environment gear being sent to _Independence_ and the Workhorse to begin decontamination procedures. Neither ship could be completely decontaminated with the resources available, but they didn't have to be. The engineers' job was simply to make them both safe enough for the long term job of identifying and classifying the bodies for burial. That job would be undertaken by the medical crew of the hospital ship _Haven_, which Pike had sent for when he made his report. The vessel would take on extra personnel and supplies at Earth and warp directly to Menos Corva when she was ready. As they waited, Pike, Ortiz and Crawford gathered in Pike's Wardroom and tried to give the _Haven_ a head start by going over the ship's lists of _Indy _and _Enterprise_, sorting out the crew members whose bodies had to be returned to Earth and those who had requested Burial In Space. They worked without interruption, subsisting on coffee and adrenaline, but ultimately they had the preliminary lists worked out. "And Crewman Cassavetes is the last one," Ortiz said as she noted a final name into her 'pad. "That gives us two hundred ninety-six crew that have to be returned to their families and one hundred and three who requested space burial."

"How do we handle the ones that need to be buried out here?" Crawford said.

"I've been thinking about that," Pike said. "_Independence_ is too damaged to tow all the way back home and refit, so we'll have to scuttle her. Maybe we can solve a couple of problems at once." He laid out what he was thinking and the other two captains readily agreed. As they began more formal planning Pike's attention was periodically drawn back to his own 'pad.

"What are you looking at?" Crawford asked after a quick glance.

Pike smiled as he answered, "The Letter."

Ortiz and Crawford smiled as well. They both knew what he meant. "You have that stored in memory?" Ortiz asked. "I thought Gabe wrote all those letters by hand on paper."

"He did. The original is tucked away in my personal files, but I had it scanned into my computer a while ago. I like to look at it when things start to weigh me down. Know what I mean?"

"I do," Crawford said.

"We both do," Ortiz said.

Pike smiled at them in turn, then read aloud from the letter. "'Dear Chris: Congratulations on your promotion to Captain, and further congratulations on receiving command of one of the greatest ships the Fleet has to offer a young, professional officer, the United Space Ship _Enterprise_.'"

"'You have been entrusted with a piece of history,'" Crawford continued from memory. "_Kitty Hawk _and her sisters are not just names and registry numbers in Starfleet's lists. They have borne witness to more than twenty years of Humanity's adventures in space, the highs and the lows, and through the lows have defended the Human Race with honor, courage and conviction."

"'Some will tell you that her age makes her unfit to serve alongside other, more modern ships,'" Ortiz continued. "'Don't believe them. As with any other vessel the greatest measure of her ability is the ability of the man or woman chosen to command her. She has the potential to perform great works, ones that will be remembered throughout the ages, but only if her commander is up to the challenge. That means it is up to you to be worthy of _Hornet_, not the other way around.'"

"I'm not worried,'" Pike resumed. "'That our superiors saw fit to add you to the exclusive club of Constitution Owners is proof enough for me that you are up to the challenge. Now is your chance to prove the same thing to yourself. Trust in _Enterprise_ and she will help you to continue to do your service and your people proud. Sincerely, Your Colleague, Captain Gabriel Kono, Commander, USS _Independence_.'" He looked at the others when he was done. "You remember why he said he wrote us those letters?"

"Yep," Crawford said. "He said that the traditional 'note' he got from his predecessor was so freaking joyless that he swore he'd write one just like that for his successor and anyone else who got command of a Constitution for as long as he was in the service."

"We were the first three he wrote them for," Ortiz mused. Her smile faded as the reality sunk in. "I guess we'll be the last three."

Pike grimaced and tossed the 'pad on the table. "It was a stupid way for him to die," he muttered.

"Hear hear!" Crawford said. "I still say we ought to do something about it!"

"I felt the same way," Pike said, "but someone reminded me that the people on those worlds have already been punished many times over for the decisions of their leaders. We don't need to add to their misery."

"Who says we don't?"

"Your Science Officer. You were right about her, you know."

"In what respect?"

"In every respect. She _is_ kind of odd, and she's competent and capable. Don't be so quick to get rid of her. You may find the oddness worth getting used to."

* * *

Aboard _Kitty Hawk_, Janice Lester was in her quarters contemplating the away mission. She sat in her bunk with her knees to her chest and her arms hugging them. She stared at the opposite wall, conscious of little except the ambient hum of the ship around her. So deep was her meditative state that she was startled when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called out.

It was Joe West. "I heard you haven't left this place since you got back. You doing okay?"

"Do you want an honest answer," she asked, "or one of those answers designed to make the questioner feel better?"

"I'm easy. You choose."

"I'm fine." She went back to staring at the wall.

West waited a few seconds, then said, "It looks like you've become a real hero up on the Gun Deck."

She gave him a confused look. "A hero? Why?"

"They heard about how you handled that last group of natives. There we were, the Landers all set to throw down and us scientists all cowering behind them, then you put your weapon away and went up to the biggest native and cool as ice sweet-talked our way out of it. It's rapidly becoming one of the better space stories."

Lester sighed. "Well, it wouldn't be all that great a story if they knew what I did to my suit when the _first_ native jumped us."

West chuckled. "Janice, they _do_ know. That's part of what makes the story great."

Lester just looked at him for a moment, then both scientists started laughing. Lester recovered first. "God, Landers are _weird_!" She said.

"Hey, you're the one that likes 'em!" West said. "Besides, they think _you're_ weird, so you're even!"

"Maybe that's why we get along so well," she said softly. As they calmed down she settled back into her pose and turned back to the wall.

"What's so fascinating about that wall?" West asked.

"It's not the wall," she said, "not by itself anyway. It's…_Kitty Hawk_ and _Enterprise_ and _Hornet_ are all part of the same class, right?"

"That's right. They're all _Constitution_-class ships."

She nodded. "And when we were on _Enterprise_ I had no trouble finding my way around. The Flight Bay was the same, the Control Room was the same…it all seems so interchangeable. I bet if I had gone to Isabel Montoya's quarters it would just seem like some stranger moved into mine, yet do you know the first thing I thought when Captain Pike said we could come back here?"

"No idea."

"I thought, 'Thank God! It will be so good to get _home_.' And when we touched down in the Flight Bay it was like we'd gone all the way back to Earth and I was visiting my parents in Colorado Springs. I felt like I was home, but that doesn't make sense if all the ships are the same. Shouldn't I feel at home on any one of them?"

West nodded in understanding. "Yes and No. You see, it takes about three years to build ships like these, from laying out to commissioning, and in the intervening time technological advance marches on, and if something new catches the eye of the builders, they try to find a way to incorporate it in the design, so that every little thing you find in one ship isn't necessarily going to be found in the others of the class unless they all go through a retrofit, and even that takes time.

"_Enterprise_ was one of the first Constitutions built and the first to be refit. _Kitty Hawk_ was one of the last in both cases. You're not really conscious of it, but what your body is reacting to are the subtle differences in the construction of the two ships brought on by the technology available when 'Big E' was in dock and what was there when 'Hawk' was in."

"Oh. Great. I was hoping it would be something simple."

"Well, the simplest explanation is that _Kitty Hawk_'s crew is your crew. This is where all your friends are."

"And you couldn't have just said that?"

West shrugged. "I'm an engineer. We don't look for the simplest answers. Just the right ones."

Lester shook her head. "Good answer. Just the right amount of ego."

"The point is there are lots of reasons why, but bottom line, we feel more at home here because, for all intents and purposes, this _is_ our home."

"Renta rauw kauw," Lester whispered. "We shouldn't have killed him."

"He would have killed you if we hadn't."

"So? I'm not important."

"Some of us think differently, including a few of those weirdoes up on the Gun Deck. I think you're outvoted. Besides…you die now, you don't get to be a starship captain when the Galaxies start coming out. I thought _that_ was important to you."

Lester thought about for a moment. "Yep…it kinda is."

"Then that's settled. You had as much right to live as the native. You just had better back-up at the time."

"It's a cold way to look at things…"

"No, cold would have been letting you sacrifice yourself needlessly. When are you going to learn to accept that other people value you?"

There was a long silence in the room after he said that, then Lester turned to him. "_Other_ people?"

West put on a sly grin, then walked over to the bunk and kneeled down beside it. Then he looked in her eyes and said, "People other than _you_."

There was more silence, then she grinned back at him. "I guess I'll have to work on that," she said. "Did you come here just to check up on me?"

"That, and I wanted to let you know what we're going to be doing for the burial."

* * *

The crew of the _Haven_ began their work as quickly and delicately as possible upon arriving in the Menos Corva system. As they worked, the crews of _Enterprise_, _Hornet_ and _Kitty Hawk_ were preparing for the burial ceremony. It would take the resources of all three ships and would begin as soon as the _Haven_'s crew had completed their work.

Eventually _Haven _departed with 296 led-lined, sealed coffins arranged neatly in her holds. Each coffin was draped with the flag of United Earth and labeled with a bronze plate engraved with the occupant's name. They'd left 103 similarly prepared coffins aboard _Independence_. Three of them contained the bodies of one of the pilots and two of the engineers that had been aboard _Enterprise_'s lost transport. They were resting in _Indy_'s Hangar Bay beside their craft, which had been put aboard by engineers from the other ships. The remaining coffins - all containing members of _Indy_'s crew - were resting as close to their occupants' stations as possible. Captain Kono's rested to the right side of the center seat in Control.

As the crews of the other starships changed into Dress Black uniforms and went to Departure Stations, transports from each were used to tow _Independence _out of her current orbit and onto the proper course for the ceremony. The maneuver was being supervised by Commander Silas in her Cavalier, and the tactical pilot would function as "Air Controller" for the whole operation.

Aboard _Enterprise_, Christopher Pike was the last to arrive in Control after Departure Stations was sounded. He said "As you were," as soon as he was in, then went and stood in front of the center seat. He took a moment to adjust his jacket and tie, then turned to the Communicator. "Tell Rider One to proceed."

* * *

"Rider One, Prize," Silas heard, "the operation is a 'Go.' You are clear to maneuver."

"Roger that," she radioed back, "maneuvering now. Rider One, out." She switched channels. "Rider One to flight. Execute flight plan on my mark, now, now, _now_."

The three transports tethered to _Independence_ by magnetic grapples lit off their sub-light engines and accelerated as one to Ahead Creep, towing _Indy _along at almost her normal departure speed. Silas kept pace with the crippled starship, flying "above" the top of the ship and inverted so that she could see everything clearly.

"Just like that, flight," she said. "Steady on course and speed. The others will be along presently."

* * *

"Put us on _Indy_'s left wing, Number One," Pike said.

"Aye, Sir," McDonald said, "matching course and speed." She accelerated the ship until _Enterprise_ was on station to the left and slightly aft of _Independence_'s Command Section. Soon after that _Hornet_ took position off _Independence_'s right wing and _Kitty Hawk_ off _Enterprise_'s left, leaving the four ships in a V-formation with _Indy_ in the lead position.

With the ships in formation and on course it was time to begin the ceremony. Pike turned to the Communicator. "Intercraft and All Ships," he said quietly. The officer complied and nodded to him, then he gave the other captains a moment to get ready, then faced the forward viewer. With _Indy_ in sight, he began reciting the Lord's Prayer. Ortiz and Crawford's voices joined in a second after he'd begun and the trio continued in perfect synch until the end, then Pike continued on his own: "Oh, Lord, we ask you to receive our brothers and sisters into your loving arms, and that you make a place for them in Heaven, and that you protect and comfort their loved ones on Earth, or wherever they might be. We ask this on behalf of these men and women."

Crawford took the cue. "Clifford Martin," he began, "Crewman Third Class. Norman Cottle, Crewman Third Class. Christine Mariner, Crewman Third Class." He continued in this way, reading names from the list of the dead on his pad, from the lowest rating up, until he had read off thirty-four names. Then it was Ortiz's turn. She read off the next thirty-four names in a similar manner.

When Pike's turn came, he forced himself not to crack as he read off the final thirty-five names, even though he knew who's name would be at the end of the list. Still, he couldn't help it when his throat caught a little as he came to the end. "Ai Mizuki, Lieutenant Commander. Arthur Romanov, Commander. Gabriel Kono…Captain."

* * *

Silas issued her next command on hearing Kono's name. "Flight, increase to Ahead Slow and prepare to cut the cables and break on my mark…"

* * *

McDonald noted the change in velocity and kept pace. Pike noticed it too, and counted to ten in his head before saying, "Number One, twenty degrees down angle on my mark." He waited two beats, then: "Now."

_Enterprise_ pitched forward and proceeded on her new course at Ahead Slow. _Hornet _and _Kitty Hawk_ stayed in formation as they followed suit, leaving a gap in the V-formation as _Independence_ continued on her base course.

* * *

"Flight, cut cables and break," Silas ordered, "now, now, _now!_"

The three transports cut their cables and maneuvered clear of the starship, which was allowed to continue her journey on momentum alone. She was now on her way to Menos Corva Two, where she would burn up in the yellow sun's corona.

* * *

When Pike saw that _Independence_ was on course, he said clearly, "We therefore commit their bodies to the stars, to be turned into stardust, looking for the resurrection of the body when our worlds give up their dead, and the life of the worlds to come, through Our Lord, Amen."

There was a minute of silence after that, then McDonald activated the ship's auto-pilot and stood up. Then she called out crisply, "Attention On Deck!"

The call sounded throughout the three remaining starships, and all three crews came to attention at their stations.

McDonald waited a moment for it to happen, then called out, "Honors…Forward High!"

Anyone who hadn't been facing forward when the call to attention came turned to do so, then the men and women of _Enterprise_, _Kitty Hawk_ and _Hornet_ looked up to where _Independence_ would be in relation to them and offered a sharp salute.

In this posture, Pike concluded the ceremony. "To the crew of the United Space Ship _Independence_ and the crew of Workhorse 935 of the Trash-Hauler Squadron, on behalf of the People of United Earth and the United Earth Starfleet, we honor you and thank you for your service and sacrifice. You will be remembered." He kept everyone saluting for exactly twelve more seconds - to honor _Indy_'s unit number - then lowered his salute. "As you were," he said. "Maintain Departure Stations. Recall all small craft. Number One, slow engines to stop and bring us bow-on to the target."

As one, the sub-light engines of all three starships slowly powered down to "Standby," then the ships brought their bows up so their main sensors could be focused on _Independence_. The lost ship would be watched until she completed her journey. Only then would her colleagues think about returning to their mission.


	5. Finale

**DISCLAIMER:** _Star Trek and all related characters are the property of Paramount Pictures, Inc. and CBS-Paramount Television. No copyright infringement is intended. This work of fiction is for entertainment purposes only and no money has changed hands. The original characters and events are the sole property of the author and may not be used without permission._

**STAR TREK:**

**MISSING MAN**

**By Darrin Colbourne**

* * *

Like many others in the small CSAR fleet, Janice Lester had begun crying freely as soon as she resumed her station, and try as she might she couldn't make herself stop. There were others in _Kitty Hawk_'s Control Room in a similar state, but she felt embarrassed all the same, because Captain Crawford seemed to be in complete control of himself. He spent the time waiting for _Independence_ to rendezvous with MC2 patiently, tracking her either on the main viewer or the Sensor station repeater until she finally disintegrated. He remained passive the whole time, with nary a sob or any other sound. Lester couldn't get control of herself until several seconds after Crawford ordered a normal watch resumed. He was on his way back to his quarters by the time she could wipe enough tears from her eyes to see, and she rushed to catch up with him after turning her station over to the next watchstander. "Captain, wait!" She called out to him.

Crawford turned and waited for her to get close. "What is it, Janice?"

"I-I just wanted to ask you…how did you _do_ that in there? You were just so…in control! I'd love to know how you did that."

Crawford regarded her for a moment, then smiled and said, "Every five seconds I remind myself that displays like that are what my private quarters are for."

"Oh," she said, then her eyes went wide as it hit her. "Oh! Oh God, I'm sorry, Captain! I didn't mean to keep you…"

"It's all right, Janice. I was actually curious about something myself. When you file your report on the natives of this system, what are you going to call them?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure I should be calling them anything."

"You discovered them on your survey, and they gotta be called something until we find out what they call themselves, right?"

"I guess so," she said. She thought about it for a minute. "How about Tellerites?"

"Why Tellerites?"

"Those weapons they put in their libration point? On Earth, they were first proposed by an American physicist named Edwin Teller. Here, they made his dream a reality, for all the good it did them."

"So, Tellerites."

"Yes, Sir."

Crawford thought about it. "Better than nothing, I suppose."

"Yes, Sir, it is."

Crawford nodded. "Carry on, Commander," he said, then he turned and started for his quarters again.

Lester wanted to go to her own quarters, but she couldn't resist asking one more question. "Sir, I'm sorry, could I…"

This time Crawford stopped without turning. "Yes, Janice?"

She hesitated, then said, "Do you think Captain Pike and Captain Ortiz kept control of themselves the same way you did?"

"I don't know," he said, "and I would never ask them, especially not Chris."

"Why 'especially not' Captain Pike?"

"Because this isn't over for him yet."

* * *

_What do I tell them?_ Pike thought as he stared at the empty screen of his desk computer. He had gone to his quarters as soon as he'd ordered the watch change, determined to begin this task while the events were fresh in his mind. He had six letters of condolence to write, one for each of the families of the men he'd sent to die in Menos Corva aboard the Workhorse. He was starting with the letter to the loved ones of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Robert Gage. His file said that he was a native of Toronto, Ontario and had been raised by his maternal grandparents after his parents died in an accident when he was young. He had enlisted in Starfleet as soon as he was old enough, then soon after graduating Basic he qualified for Officer's Candidate School, then again for Space Warfare School, where he finished reasonably high up in his class. Trash-Hauler Squadron had been his first assignment as a logistics pilot and his assignment aboard _Enterprise_ his first extended cruise.

_What do I tell them?_ Pike thought again. _How do I tell Mr. and Mrs. Gage that their grandson, this fine young man who had his whole life and career ahead of him, died at the hands of some long-dead aliens in a system that I sent him to?_

_How do I tell that to all of the survivors?_

* * *

Light-years away, in her office on Earth, Dr. Usma Narain was pondering much the same question, only on a much larger scale. "Nearly four hundred men and women," she muttered as she stared at her own computer screen, "most of them people I hardly knew. Should I even be writing these letters? I feel like I would be intruding on their families' grief, and I've done enough to them already."

Admiral Jellico, sitting across her desk from her, spoke up. "You're writing the letters because it's cathartic, for them and you. It lets them know that their sons and daughters and husbands and wives mattered to you, and it reminds you of the same thing, no matter how well you knew them."

Narain hesitated, then said, "I shouldn't be keeping you from your letters."

"I'll get busy once I've helped you get started."

"Do you have any idea what you're going to say?"

"I have a pretty fair idea, yes."

"How do you _know_? What can you ever say to comfort someone after a loss like this?"

"Just sending the letter is comfort, like I said. Now think about it: what do you _want_ to tell them?"

"I want to tell them how terribly sorry I am for their loss, and that I feel deeply saddened that it happened when they were completing a mission for me."

"Then tell them that."

"Just like that?"

"It's the truth, isn't it? So start with that and work from there. There's no rule in the book that teaches you how to do this, Usma. Every commander has to learn it on his own. The lesson is never easy."

Narain nodded to him, then turned back to her screen, put her fingers to the keyboard and began to type.

* * *

Aboard _Enterprise_, Pike began typing as well, but he only got a few words down before he had to stop. It had only been moments since he thought he'd finally found the right words, but it suddenly occurred to him that there might be no words adequate to mourn the people who died under his command.

That was when he started crying.

END


End file.
